


Scary Uncle Alec

by lunaseemoony



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Babysitting, Carnival, Childhood, Fluff, Gen, POV Child
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-10 06:18:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4380482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaseemoony/pseuds/lunaseemoony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fred’s had just about enough with people disappearing from his life. And now his mum wants to leave him with Scary Uncle Alec? Absolutely Not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scary Uncle Alec

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet is for thedoctorofsteel's prompt

 

“Now Fred, you be good for your Uncle Alec while mummy gets her hair done, okay?” mum cooed at him and kissed both his cheeks.

Wait. No. “Mum!” he called. Absolutely not.

“Oh, you’re alright. I’ll be back before you know it! You and your Uncle Alec have a fun time. Make him ride the teacups with you!” mum offered.

No way was this going to be a thing. Where was Auntie? Or Tom? He’d settle for Tom for once, not that anybody needed to know it. Dad wasn’t coming back. Okay. But to be left with scary Uncle Alec? What did he do wrong? So he might have shredded somebody’s important paperwork. It wasn’t his fault that nobody appreciated his confetti art. He could be considered reasonably innocent. So why was he being left with one of his nightmares? This was turning out to be a nightmare itself.

“Mum!” he tried again. Maybe she didn’t hear him the first time. Alec picked him up. Good, maybe he could carry him over to her so she could hear him properly… except he went in the completely wrong direction. And a swift kick on the leg was no deterrent. “Mum!” he wailed.

“Back soon sweetheart!” she waved before disappearing past the boathouse.

There was just no way this was happening. At all. Another few kicks and Fred was released to the ground. He took off running. Scary Alec foolishly believed that if he couldn’t see Mum that he wasn’t going to chase after her. Wrong. He darted towards the gate, convinced he was going to be able to jump at the latch and make it open. Stranger things have happened. He jumped and jumped, but it refused to cooperate.

“Now Fred,” Scary Alec came up after him and knelt down on the ground next to him. “Like she said, your mum’s coming back. Soon. I hope. "I didn’t ask for this either. We’re both victims of your mother’s whims. Now, you can either be a good little laddie about it, and I’ll take you for a stroll, or you can stand here and fuss. Your choice.”

They all seemed to think that because Fred was little that he didn’t see anything. Maybe he didn’t know what was going on. Dad was gone. Tom was gone, most of the time. Auntie was gone, most of the time. Did Mum think she could replace them with Scary Alec? Not happening. Not at all, not ever. Nobody could replace them, just like nobody could replace Mum. He didn’t remember what Dad looked like anymore, just that he used to be around all the time and all of a sudden he stopped. Mum didn’t like him anymore, so neither did Fred. He left them behind. As much as Fred missed him, he reminded himself of how sad Mum ws when he left.

Scary Alec started coming around all the time, always with that angry scrunched up face. Sometimes Fred wondered if maybe he was sad about somebody leaving too? But it didn’t matter, he never smiled at Fred. He never smiled at all. Who didn’t smile? It wasn’t normal. People who didn’t smile weren’t normal. Scary Alec wasn’t normal. Mum was always talking about making good choices. Well, was choosing to be sad all the time a good choice? Fred couldn’t understand why Mum wanted to be around him all the time. He wasn’t good for much except grumbling and making angry faces.

“Come on, we’re going for a stroll. Maybe that’ll help calm you down,” Scary Alec said.

Good. Strolling was good. He could look forward and pretend that it was Mum pushing it. All Scary Alec had to do was not talk. And if Fred remembered anything, it was that Scary Alec didn’t talk much. This might actually work. Every day Fred tried to see if maybe this day was when he’d be strong enough to pick up his stroller. But today wasn’t that day. At least he tried. Scary Alec gave him credit for trying with a pat on the head before helping him into the stroller. He might not have been able to forget it was Scary Alec pushing the stroller, but at least it did help. The tall bearded man with the funny accent had a point sometimes.

“Oh the teacups,” Scary Alec stopped the stroller in front of the ride with the giant bowls. The grown ups calling them cups was just a bit odd, honestly. “I think your mum wants us to ride them.”

Just how nutters was this guy? Spin inside giant bowls until his insides were out? “No!” Fred yelled, and kicked at the stroller.

Alec cleared his throat and moved on. “So it’ll just be your mum then. You’re not getting me in there either.”

At least they could agree on one thing. No giant death bowls. Maybe they could convince Mum not to get in one either. Just looking at them, he knew he was going to have another nightmare about it. Is that what happened to Dad? Did he climb into a giant death bowl? Definitely should have a talk with Mum about avoiding them, just in case.

“Oh, how about some ice cream then, eh Fred?” Scary Alec suggested. “My treat. We’ll both get cones. See if your mother gets any sleep tonight after eating all my bread and saddling me with… what do you say, hm?”

Fred cheered. Maybe rewarding the man wasn’t a good idea. But he’d be stupid to refuse an offer of ice cream. He never got one to himself. He always had to share with Mum or Tom. Not today! Scary Alec wheeled him up to the stand and ordered them both cones, two scoops for him and one for Fred.

“Do you know how to eat ice cream?” he asked. “Probably not. Good day to learn.”

Fred couldn’t agree more. And he actually handed him the cone! Life was picking up for Fred. Sweet, cold, chocolate. Three wonderful things, and he lapped them up eagerly before it all melted in his hands. Well, he tried to at least. When Scary Alec turned around to grab a couple of napkins, two older boys came up and snatched the ice cream right from Fred’s delightfully sticky hands.

“Ah! Ah!” Fred cried. He’d been so busy calling the man Scary Alec that he forgot his real name.

But it was alright, because the moment Scary Alec turned around he spotted the two boys and tore after them. Their mum stopped him, asking him what the [Mum doesn’t like this word] was wrong with him. Scary Alec told her what happened and watched their mum do all of the yelling for him. He turned back to Fred and sighed.

“Come here, it’s okay. Don’t cry Fred,” Alec muttered, picking him up out of the stroller for a hug. A much needed hug. “I’ll buy you another one.”


End file.
